LISAvienna: A review of HIMSS 2018

LISAvienna represented the Austrian umbrella organization Life Science Austria (LISA), at the HIMSS 2018 in Orlando, Florida from March 4-9, 2018. The goal was to make it easier for domestic companies to enter the US market. Helping these companies identify new trends in healthcare IT was also on the agenda.

The HIMSS International Conference and Exhibition is the largest healthcare IT exhibition and conference in the world. The importance of IT in the healthcare market was underscored with more than 43,000 visitors and over 1,300 exhibitors who attended the conference in Orlando this year. In comparison: The spin-off of HIMSS in Germany, conhIT, welcomed approximately 9,500 visitors and 501 exhibitors at their most recent conference.    

This was the third time Austria was represented at the HIMSS in the USA at a booth organized by LISAvienna under the umbrella brand LISA – Life Science Austria. Eight companies presented at the LISA booth next to the “Intelligent Health Pavilion” and other country booths like Spain and Israel. All of the Austrian companies enrolled in the conference had the opportunity to display documents and to use the booth as a point of contact and information. Along with presenting their own products and services, the ten-member Austrian delegation placed priority on developing a better understanding of their competitors. Behind-the-scenes discussions were held with important decision-makers of leading healthcare IT companies.

The exhibition began on the second day of the five-day HIMSS. With an exhibition space of approximately 200,000 m2, most of the exhibitors were U.S. companies. There were, however, also European delegations representing their companies. Along with large companies such as Cerner, Agfa, and Epic, several small companies were present who are trying to meet the dynamic challenges faced in healthcare IT with their individual solutions.

Global market leaders from the IT sector have gained in importance at HIMSS. Google, Microsoft, IBM and Amazon Business have prominently presented their solutions for the health sector in the exhibition. Ex-Google CEO and Ex-Alphabet Chairman Eric Schmidt gave an Opening Keynote explaining where healthcare IT will lead to in the future. He expects combinations of cloud solutions, artificial intelligence and decision support to gain in importance due a growing population.

As in the previous year, a large exhibition area was reserved for the “Intelligent Health Pavilion”. This gave visitors the opportunity to learn more about how intelligent and networked systems can support healthcare. Solutions for various use cases have been on display ranging from in-home healthcare and care units to emergency ORs.

HIMSS 2018 clearly showed that blockchain topics are a big issue for the future of health care. Many of the >500 sessions picked up this topic in a multitude of perspectives including “Blockchain for Healhcare” or “Health Apps in the Age of Blockchain”.

The Austrian Werner Leodolter, CIO KAGes, presented this year at HIMSS. His lecture at the HIMSS International Conference has focused on “Shaping the subconscious mind of Healthcare organizations”.

Segments including 3-D printing, gamification, mobile healthcare, cloud computing, standardization, and security once again had a strong presence at the convention.

In addition to the exhibitions, top-notch networking events have been part of HIMSS such as a special Investors Lounge, the Women in Health IT Reception, or the International reception.

Take away:
The HIMSS is an essential event for anyone involved in the healthcare IT arena planning to enter the North America market. The event also offers an ideal opportunity for companies that may be currently focused on other markets to meet possible partners or to gain insight about competitors and new products.´Next year, the event will take place from February 11 to 15 in Orlando, Florida.

Attention:
The next important eHealth event for Austrian companies, the eHealth 2018, will take place May 8-9, 2018, in Vienna. For Vienna based companies a discount on the registration fee will be available.

For any questions about HIMSS 2018, or if you would like to participate in eHealth 2018 or HIMSS 2019, please contact Martin Mayer for a no obligation, one-on-one consultation!

 

 

Contact:

 

LISAvienna
Martin Mayer
Technology Expert Medtech
+43 (0)1 501 75 235
+43 (0)664 884 672 09
mayer(at)LISAvienna.at
www.LISAvienna.at

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